New Perspective…?

My blog has been quiet because my life is not. But here’s a quick post until I have time to sit down and pen some exciting news.

Last weekend my family spent a good portion cleaning our house, and I got a little pushback from my daughters. “Why do we have to clean now for a party that’s not happening until next Friday?” one of them whined.

Up went my eyebrow. “Because I’m not waiting until Thursday to do it—only to realize I’m having to do it all by myself since you’re at school and Daddy’s at work.” Duh. (I learned my lesson of what happens when you procrastinate in high school, thanks.)

What my girls didn’t know then—won’t know until this afternoon—is that my parents are flying in from MA for a surprise visit today (my dad and I each turn a new decade this weekend). So I had to have the house cleaned before Friday. Thus, unbeknownst to my girls, they were going through the unpleasant business of picking up their rooms, putting away toys, etc., in preparation for something very fun in a matter of days.

I had to stop and wonder: how often does God require His children to go through unpleasant business because He knows it’s in preparation for something “fun” further down the road? I’m a spoiled American that can get whiny when life doesn’t go the way I want, but maybe next time I’m grumbling about whatever is going on, I’ll be able to look at it from a different perspective and keep the complaining to a minimum. 😉